Machine for forming wire-clamps



(No Model.) A. OWEN.

MACHINE FOR FORMING WIRE CLAMPS.

. No. 392,878. Patented Nov. 13, 1888.

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PETERS, Pholo-Liihogmphor. Wnhlngtam n. c

UNITE STATES ALVA OWEN, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS.

MACHINE FOR FORMING WIRE=CLAMPS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 392,878, dated November 13, 1898.

Application filed August 2, 1888. Serial No. 281,795. (No lnodeLl To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ALVA OWEN, a citizen of the United States, residing at Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Machines for Forming \Vire-Olamps, of which the following is a specification.

My invention relates to an improved machine for the manufacture of a certain springclamp, used in the construction of an electric belt, for which Letters Patent of the United States, No. 368,5et6, were granted to me on the 16th day of August, 1887. The spring-clamp to which the present application refers is illustrated and described in said patent, and its particular office is to afford an adjustable and removable connection between the conductor-cord and battery. The blank out of which the clampis formed comprises a spring having a coil and two arms of unequal length extending therefrom and diverging toward their extremities. forming the said blank has been devised by me and will form the subject of a separate application for Letters Patent. In the formation of the spring-clamp from a blank such as described two operations are performed by the machine-via, first, bending the spring about midway of the arms, at corresponding places, to form the parts which constitute the jaw portions; second, bending thejaw portions toward their free ends to produce thejaws and cause the latter to extend parallel with each other at right angles to the body of the clamp.

My object is to provide machinery to accomplish the abovedescribed operations in forming the clamps expeditiously and in a manner to produce clamps uniform in every particular.

My invention consists in the general construction of the machinery I employ, and it further consists in details of construction and combinations of parts.

In the drawings, Figure l is a plan view, partly broken, of myimproved machine, showing the initial relative positions of all the parts, and illustrating in dotted lines aspring-blank adjusted in position before being formed into a clamp; Fig. 2, a similar view illustrating the relative positions of the parts at the completion of the operation of shaping the jaw portion on the blank, a spring thus shaped An improved machine for being shown in position on the machine; Fig. 3, a similar view illustrating the relative positions of the parts at the end of the operation of bending thejaw portions to right angles, showing a completed spring in position on the machine; Fig. 4, a perspective view ofa spring as it appears after the final operation of the machine; and Fig. 5, a similar view of the clamp completed by crossing the jaws.

A is a base comprising a metal plate provided with screw-holes, through which it may be fastened upon a support.

B is a die or form comprising a plate, rigid upon the base A, having diverging sides and angular recesses m m, formed by a reduced flaring extension, of, as shown. Adjacent to the tapering extremity of the die 13, and separated therefrom by a narrow space, is a round stud, Z.

- O O are jaws pivoted, respectively, at k k on opposite sides of the die to the base A, and preferably connected at adjacent ends by a toggle-joint, D. The opposite or free ends of the jaws O C are provided with angular extensions i t" and edges a n, each edge a or a and its respectively adjacent angular extension '5 or i coinciding with the respectively contiguous side and recess of the die B. The toggle-joint may be operated by means of a pivoted lever, E, to cause the projections 12 i to enter or withdraw from the recesses m m. The toggle-joint and lever E are not indispensable, and, if desired, the rear ends of the jaws O 0 may be extended to afford handles for operating them. A plate, h, of the thickness of the wire used in the formation of the clamp, lies upon the base A, abutting against one side of the die B, and extending underneath the jaw O, to raise the latter the distance of thethickness of the plate It above the level of the jaw O, for the purpose hereinafter described.

F F are brackets affording a rigid frame fastened upon the base A at opposite sides of the jaws G O, and projecting beyond the edge 9 of the base to afford bearings for a rock-shaft, G. The rock-shaft G carries midway of the frame or brackets F F, opposite the reduced end an of the die, a striker, H, having a head, H, and handle H The connection between the striker H and shaft G is such as to render the striker pivotal and secure against lateral movement. I

The operation of the machine is as follows: A blank or spring, X, is adjusted in the machine, in the position shown by dotted lines in Fig. 1, the coil or loop of the spring surrounding the stud Z, the long arm of the spring on the side of the die B adjacent to the jaw O and over the plate 7b, which thus raises the long arm of the spring to cause it to coincide with thejaw, and the short arm of the spring upon the opposite side of the die B adjacent to the jaw O. The lever E is then operated to force the extensions t t" of the jaws O G into the respective recesses m m,'crowding the arms of the spring X into the recesses and producing the form X of thelatter. (Illustrated in Fi 2.) The lever IE is maintained in the position last described to press the jaws C 0" against the spring X, and hold the latter firmly in place during the final operation of the machine, which produces the form X of the spring, and is performed by raising the handle H" of the striker H, and forcing, by means of the head H, the ends of the spring J, which extend beyond the edge 9 of the base A, downward into vertical grooves ff (see Fig. 1) provided in the edge g. At the end of this operation the parts of the machine are in the relative posit-ions shown in Fig. 3. To discharge the spring I from the machine, the lever E is turned to its initial position to open the jaws O O and the striker Hallowed to drop to a vertical position, (all as shown in Fi 1,) when the spring X may be readily picked out. To produce the complete clamp Y, (shown in Fig. 5,) the operator may with his fingers cross the long arm of the spring X over the short arm of the latter.

-What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. In a machincfor forming clamps, the combination, with the base, of a die, B, having a flaring extension, on", affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws G 0, having extensionst' t" to enter the recesses m m, a raised seat, h, at one side of the die B, and means, substantially as described, for actuating the said jaws.

2. In a machine for forming clamps, the combination, with the base, of a stud, Z, a die, B, having a ,fiaring extension, m affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws C 0, having extensions i t" to enter the recesses m m, a raised seat, h, at one side of the die B, and means, substantially as described, for actuating the said jaws.

3. In a machine for forming clamps, the combination, with the base, of a die, B, having a flaring extension, m affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws G 0, having extensions 2' vi to enter the recesses m m, a toggle-joint, D, connecting the jaws toward their rear ends, a lever, E, connected with the toggle-joint, and a raised seat, It, at one side of the die B, substantially as described.

4-. In ama'chinefor forming clamps, the combination, with the base, of a die, B, having a flaring extension, of, affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws C 0, having extensions it to enter the recesses m m, means, substantially as described, for actuating the saidjaws, and a pivotal striker, II, supported opposite the flaring extremity of the die B, substantially as set forth.

5. In a machine for forming clamps, the combination, with the base, of a die, B, having a flaring extension, in", affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws O 0, having extensions it, to enter the recesses m m, means, substantially as described, for actuating the said jaws, and a striker, H, on a rock-shaft, G, supported in a rigid frame, F F, and comprising a head, H, and a handle, H", substantially as set forth.

6. A machine for forming clamps, comprising, in combination, a base, A, having an edge, a die, B, upon the base, having aflaring extension, at", affording recesses m m, pivotal jaws O 0, having extensions i i to enter the recesses m m, atoggle-joint, D, connecting the jaws toward their rear ends, a lever, E, connected with the toggle-joint, and a pivotal striker, H, supported opposite the flaring extremity of the die B, substantially as described.

ALV A. OWVEN.

In presence of J. W. DYRENFORTII, M. J. BOWERS. 

